View full sizeKatie Currid/The OregonianKatelyn Carlson, 9, of Waldport sits with her mother, Julia, in her hospital bed at Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel. Katelyn was injured in a suspected drunken driving accident while in the car with her grandparents last week.

Last Monday the sun came out in Waldport -- a small town on the Oregon coast -- and Casey Deckard decided to get out of the house.

To say the 38-year-old father of two walked outside would be generous. In the years since a drunken driver hit him, he's progressed from wheelchair to crutches, and now leg braces and special shoes allow him to walk about a block without help.

"I like to say that the old Casey died," he said. "I'm still trying to find the new me."

But he's learned to take the good moments when they come. And on this day, he was able to ease the pain -- a constant companion -- by enjoying the sun and finding a bit of peace.

All that changed when his wife pulled up in the car.

"I could see something was wrong," he said. "It was in her eyes. They were watery, like she'd been crying. She asked me if I remembered Chris Carlson. Of course I did."

Carlson, who owns a construction company, was once a stranger. Three years ago after Deckard was injured when a drunken driver hit him head on, Carlson sent a crew to Deckard's house at no charge and had them put in a ramp to allow Deckard to recuperate at home instead of a care center.

Deckard's wife stumbled over her words. Carlson's young daughter had been injured -- likely by a drunken driver.

She was taken by Life Flight helicopter to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland. Just as Deckard had been in 2009.

"I had to turn away and go to the garage so I could cry," Deckard said.

Once again, people in this town felt victimized by a suspected drunken driver.

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Katelyn Carlson, 9, and her grandparents were headed home from Eugene to Waldport on June 26 when their car was struck by a pickup that crossed the centerline of Oregon 34 near Tidewater.

Investigators think alcohol was a factor, said Lt. Gregg Hastings, spokesman for the Oregon State Police. He said the case has been forwarded to the Lincoln County district attorney's office.

His warning comes at an appropriate time, Hastings said. Statistics gathered by Oregon's Fatality Analysis Reporting System the past 25 years show that nearly half of all Fourth of July holiday period traffic fatalities were from alcohol-involved crashes, he said. And since 1970 almost 300 Oregon motorists have died during the holiday.

"Although law enforcement and many citizens are working on the issue," Hastings said, "it's a constant problem."

State police and other law enforcement authorities in Oregon plan extra enforcement from the holiday through the weekend.

Carlson said he first heard about the crash involving his daughter and his wife's parents when a friend called him at home.

"It was six miles from where my mother and sister had been hit," Carlson said. "It was like deja vu. It turns out my daughter's injuries were the same as my sister's, but worse."

Carlson headed to the site in his truck. His wife, the owner of a wealth management company, was with a client and had her cellphone turned off.

"I heard the police talking about the wreck on the scanner in my truck," he said. "I got there just when they were going to fly her to the hospital. I rode with her on the helicopter. It was horrible to see my little girl like that."

After seven days in the hospital, his daughter was released and residents welcomed her home.

Her injuries opened old wounds for Deckard.

"It's been a horrific journey. My legs were crushed, and I've had 12 surgeries. I have a hard time getting around, and I'm on disability. I've also dealt with depression and anxiety."

Hearing of her injuries also changed something within Deckard.

"I haven't been outspoken about what happened to me," he said. "Other than family and friends, I don't talk about it. But when I heard what happened to Katelyn, a fire was lit under me. These accidents are in the news, and no one notices. It's time to speak out."

After sending a card to the Carlson family and pledging he'd do whatever he could to help, he contacted the county district attorney and Oregon State Police and pleaded with both agencies to "do something about drunken driving."

"I don't think the public understands the impact and damage of these cases," Deckard said. "They can ruin a life."

As for Katelyn, "Each day she gets a little better, but she will be recovering all summer," Carlson said. "If you look at pictures of the wreck, it's unbelievable that she's alive."

Carlson is focusing on his daughter's recovery, but the senseless crash has angered him.

"To move on in life is to forgive," he said. "That will come some other day."